Cannabis parade hits Arcata’s streets

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The Cannifest Float of royalty featuring a future Cannabis King and Queen makes the intersection of LK Wood Boulevard and 14th Street. On Saturday, the Yes We Cann! Parade & Hullabaloo cannabis celebration winded from Humboldt State University, through Arcata and around the Arcata Plaza before ending at the Arcata Ball Park. - José Quezada — For the Times-Standard

Clay Adams catches some air with his skateboard with the Humboldt CBD float. The dreaded balloon hairdo in the background is worn by Avishai Bombaklat of Humboldt CBD. - José Quezada — For the Times-Standard

On Saturday afternoon hundreds of people took part in the Yes We Cann! Parade & Hullabaloo, which celebrated the local cannabis culture and the industry’s efforts to come out of the shadows and into the sun as state recreational use legalization rolls out.

“This is about bringing the community together in all manifestations to create a pull forward,” Humboldt Green executive director and event organizer Stephen Gieder, who was dressed in marijuana leaf mask and a shirt and pants decorated with patches that made it look like cannabis was growing up his right leg.

People of all ages, dogs and even a goat paraded from the Humboldt State University parking lot at 14th and Union Streets to H Street, around the Arcata Plaza and into the Arcata Ball Park where the hullabaloo took place.

“If I would make a guess there are somewhere between 215 and 420 people signed up for the parade,” Gieder joked.

Growdozers pulled trailers decorated as floats. Bands played live music from two of the floats singing cannabis tunes. People along the parade route sat on their lawn or watched from their doorways as the parade passed. People from the 39 companies, collectives and groups that took part in the event gave out fun-size pieces of candy or branded stickers, cups and koozies.

“It’s pretty hard to take in right now,” Gieder said ahead of the parade.

An event celebrating cannabis parading through town and using the city-owned ballpark raised some eyebrows in the community. It was brought up at least twice in separate Arcata City Council meetings to ensure the event would follow all applicable laws before the event permit was granted.

“It’s great! I love doing events and community gatherings because you can see it inspires people,” Gieder said.

Dave Wasson, who does cannabis compliance work for a Sonoma County company said he came up just for the event.

“We don’t have anything like this in Sonoma County yet. Yet,” he said.

Wasson said he spent the day exploring Arcata.

“This is just the best part of the day so far,” he said.

Humboldt Green Marketing coordinator Mandy McNay was on the cannabis king and queen float during the parade. She wore a bright green wing, blue-green sequin jacket, marijuana leaf leggings with orange sneakers, fanny pack, glasses and clown nose and gave a dignified wave as she passed.

“I’m so excited,” she said before boarding the float. “I was the first person in this parking lot this morning and I’m blown away by the amount of people here. I think this event really enables our community to come out of the dark and into the light.”

McNay said she’s proud to be a part of Humboldt Green.

“This is Steve’s vision, we’re all here to bring it to fruition,” she said.

Gieder and McNay weren’t the only ones dressed up for the event.

Most people had cannabis leaf designs somewhere on their person. Some wore stilts and Avishai Bombaklat of Humboldt CBD had about 15 golden, helium-filled balloons tied to his dreadlocks.

Gieder’s two sons were dressed up too. One was a garden gnome and other wore a green morph suit similar to the one Gieder wore in 2015 during the first Yes We Cann! parade in Eureka.

“They asked to be dressed like that,” he said.

With the parade and hullabaloo done, the Humboldt Green crew look to Humboldt Green Week which is a week of cannabis related or inspired events in April and the next Cannifest, Gieder said.